Car-axle box



(No Model.)

M. L. STEARNS.

OAR AXLE BOX. 8 No. 369,888. Patented Sept. 13, 1887.

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UNITED STATES PATENT. rEicE.

MORDAUNT L. STEARNS, OF DETROIT, MICHIGAN.

CAR-AXLE BOX.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 369,888, dated September 13, 1887.

- Application filed June 11, 1887. Serial No. 240,999. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, MORDAUNT L. STEARNS, of Detroit, in the county of Wayne and State of Michigan, have invented new and useful Improvements in Dust Guards for Car Axle Boxes; and I do hereby declare that the following is a full, clear, and exact description thereof, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, which form a part of this specification.

This invention relates to certain new and useful improvements in dust-guards for railwayboxes.

The invention consists in the peculiar construction and arrangement of the dust-guard or wiper, which fits snugly within its chamber in the axle box, to the exclusion of dust, sand, &c., and which is adapted to have vertical adjustment within said chamber, all as more fully hereinafter set forth.

Figure 1' is a central vertical longitudinal section through an axle-box provided with my improvement. Fig. 2 is a vertical cross-section on the line a: x of Fig. 1. Fig. 3 is a perspective View of the two-part dust-guard detached.

In the accompanying drawings, which form a part of this specification, A represents a caraxle, B the axle-box, and G the brass, all

of the usual construction, the box A being provided with the usual chamber for the reception of the dust-guard, such chamber in my construction being open at the top and bottom, as shown, and provided with the usual aperture, M, for the free passage of the axle through it. v

D represents the guard, which is made of any suitable'material. This guard is constructed in two parts, a b, slidingly engaging with each other, as shown, so that when in position embracing the axle the two parts may vertically approach each other to compensate for the wear, while at the same time the sides of the guard, or at least those portions exposed through the opening M, are flush and continuous.

The upper and lower ends of the chamber which receives the guard are closed by the plates E, detachably secured in place by the bolts F, tapped into the axle-box.

G are adj usting-bolts screw-threaded through V the plates E, their inner ends coming in contact with the upper and lower edges, respectively,

of the guard, and by them the two sections of the guard can be independently adjusted to embrace the axle.

As the semicircular faces of the guard wear away, they are readilyadjusted by turning up the screws G, which latter are preferably provided with thejam-nuts H, to retain the said screws Gin their adjusted positions against accidental displacement.

In practice it will be seen that a dust-guard of this description, and provided with the means shown for adjusting it, can be made to fit much tighter into the dust-guard chamber thanany guard in present use where means are provided for automatically adjusting it, such means consisting usually of springs arranged to crowd the sections of the dustguard against the axle. It is obvious that such means cannot act unless a free play is provided for the dust-guard within its chamber, and this free play is enough to defeat the very object of the dust-guard-viz., to keep the dust outbecause the dust-guard, as long as the springs retain their tension, is constantly crowded against the axle, and thereby occasions continual wear, while, on the other hand, as soon as the springs lose their tension (which they will do in time) the dust guard becomes entirely useless.

The use of my means for adjusting the dustguard does away with the constant pressure and consequent wear, and my guard will render effective service for a much longer time, provided it is from time to time readjusted, which is but little work to do.

It will also be seen that as both platesF are removably secured a new dust-guard can be put in place with but little trouble.

What I claim as my invention is- The combination, with the axle-box 13, provided with a guard-chamber open at the top M. L. STEABNS.

Witnesses:

H. S. SPEAGUE, A. BARTHEL. 

